Robert Garlick Hill Kean

Robert Garlick Hill Kean (October 7, 1828 – June 13, 1898) was a Virginia lawyer and Civil War bureaucrat, whose wartime diary, published after his death, continues to provide useful insight into the inner workings of the Confederate government during the War.

Kean obtained his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Virginia, and began his law practice in Lynchburg, Virginia. He married Jane Nicholas Randolph, a daughter of Thomas Jefferson Randolph and descendant of Thomas Jefferson, and their children included Dr. Jefferson Randolph Kean, who became a distinguished Army doctor and colleague of Walter Reed. Both Jane Kean and Jefferson Kean were buried in the cemetery at Monticello. The Kean collection at the University of Virginia includes many of the older Kean's papers, including volumes of correspondence with his son Jefferson Kean.

When the Civil War began, Kean enlisted as a private. In 1862, his wife's uncle, George Wythe Randolph, took Kean on as his aide, and Kean followed him into the War Department at Richmond. Kean became the chief of the Bureau of War. His immediate supervisor was John Archibald Campbell, the former U.S. Supreme Court justice. Of Kean's wartime diary, the Encyclopedia of the American Civil War provides this description: "Published as Inside the Confederate Government in 1957, this primary source is for the most part accurate, critical, objective, and reflective of the drama that was the Civil War. Virtually every significant character, of both the military and civilian sectors, who comprised the highest levels of the Confederate government is discussed within this diary. It remains an indispensable resource for those seeking first-hand, in-depth discussion and analysis of the Richmond government." The diary was edited by history professor Edward E. Younger, of the University of Virginia. The diary was reprinted in paperback in 1993. From the time of Gettysburg, "[o]n July 7, 1863, Kean wrote that Lee had captured 40,000 of the enemy at Gettysburg but remained skeptical as there was no official news. The next day, he recorded the truth. 'The week just ended has been one of unexampled disaster since the war began.' Vicksburg had surrendered and Gettysburg was 'a virtual if not an actual defeat.'"

After the War, Kean resumed his law practice in Richmond. He was a charter member and served as the second president of The Virginia Bar Association. He served on the Board of Visitors of the University of Virginia, including two terms as rector.

At the time of his death, Kean was "with the exception of Postmaster-General Reagan, of Texas, the highest civil officer of the Confederacy living."